


Rosemary and Lavender

by NinjaGogeta



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, F/M, Falling In Love, Insecurity, Romance, Self-Esteem Issues, literal falling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:00:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24577951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinjaGogeta/pseuds/NinjaGogeta
Summary: Robin's heart says to persue her. His brain says that he has no chance against Chrom. Robin just wants to know who he and this world are.And if she were to somehow fall for him? Well, none of the three would complain one bit.
Relationships: My Unit | Reflet | Robin/Sumia
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	1. Romsemary and Lavender

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is from my alternate FF.net account, no theft going on.

The start of his love for Sumia could be considered weird, he knew. Not the situation itself - Sumia tripped all the time - but on reflection, the start of his feelings would be cause enough for some to call him a creepy weirdo. Hence why he has never spoken of it.

It was Robin’s first day in Ylisstol, and his first meeting with the Shepherds. Introductions were a mixed bag. Between Vaike’s enthusiasm for gaseous based bragging and Maribelle's derision, it wasn't, to be sure, the perfect start.

She had barely asked a question before she tripped on a piece of paper lying around. That was Sumia for you. It was fortunate for them both that he had been standing so close. She avoided a faceful of floor, and he got a faceful of her hair. 

Yes, it wasn’t her face, or her voice, or her body, or her personality; the beginnings of his infatuation with Sumia began when he smelt her hair. Of course, it was hard not to smell it when it was all but shoving itself up his nostrils, but out of context he imagined it wouldn’t sound good. T’was the sort of thing that stalkers raved about when meeting their targets in dark alleys.

It was through a pink haze that he heard her apologize, that he saw her flustered face. It only served to make her more beautiful, in that moment. He had started to place what it smelt like when Maribelle’s teasing registered.

Of course Sumia would have a crush on Chrom. Not only was the Prince a handsome man - he was comfortable enough to admit it - but he was also, well, a prince! For sure, they must have had some history, history that was far beyond his entering into their life. Robin wasn’t even sure he had a history. 

He was just some creep who’d smelt her hair and decided she was the love of his short-known life. Not a coin to his name, and even less of a grasp on who he was. How could anyone, Sumia aside, fall for his personality if he hardly even had one anymore. He knew nothing of the world, nevermind of himself.

His mind had set on giving up on her. He had more pressing concerns than romance, anyway. He’d been aware for all of two weeks, he needed to keep his mind clear as he learned about the world. He didn’t even know anything about Sumia, anyway. Aside from how her hair smelt. Was that enough for the basis of a relationship? He didn’t need to know stick about romance to answer with a resounding no.

So, he knew that he should put those thoughts aside. He needed to learn about himself, about the world. He would meet someone, one day, when he was ready for a relationship. One day he would have both the time and the savvy to pursue one.

He ignored his heart telling him that Sumia and Chrom could be together by then. His brain told it that he would be happy for them. His heart said that his mind was a dirty liar. And the rest of his organs tried to keep the fool’s body they inhabited alive long enough for any of it to matter.

His heart and brain both shut up when he saw her comfort that pegasus by the road. For the first time, they were in agreement. Sumia was incredible. Their brief treaty ended when both sides tried again to push their respective agenda. Robin distracted himself with a book, pretending he didn’t know either of them.

They shut up again when she swept in and saved Chrom from the twitchy Feroxi border guards. For all of a few seconds before his brain told Robin and his heart both that, after that display, it would only be a matter of time before the two became an item.

For the first time, his heart took a step back, beaten into submission. His brain, having realised it had won, wasn’t as happy as it had been expecting. All three, Robin and his vital organs both, moped about it for a bit, before finally uniting in their efforts to move on.

Ferox was a fascinating place, he had much to learn. A small part of the large world he had to acquaint himself with. He asked questions, he paid attention to his surroundings, and he read. He read as much as he could, for both knowledge, and to escape from the lingering memory of rosemary and lavender.


	2. Terror at High Noon

Robin’s quest to maybe-sort-of avoid Sumia ended in failure a mere two days after it began. 

The Shepherds were spending the night in Khan Flavia’s keep, resting for the tournament to come. Robin took the chance to explore the local marketplace, talking to the people and learning their ways.

Sure, more than a few had told him to “Sod off, you thin-limbed wazzock”, but some had been happy to talk about the Feroxi culture. Apparently it involved a lot of fighting, drinking, fighting, watching fights, and fighting. With a dash of fighting on the weekends. Some had even offered to give him a hands on lesson of the Feroxi lifestyle, but he’d graciously turned them down.

Which translated to a stammered “No thanks” and a hasty retreat, scurrying away on his aforementioned thin-limbs.

Upon returning to the barracks loaned to the Shepherds, Robin came across Sumia, sat at a large table. He held in a groan as his heart perked up, deciding it prudent to start beating like a Feroxi with a grudge. His brain, in a valiant effort to ignore his heart, took note of the large number of books on the table.

“That’s a lot of books you’ve got there, Sumia.” He screamed at his brain, asking what the hell it thought it was doing. His brain replied that since Operation Avoid Sumia was a bust, he should move on to a second tactic - Operation Acclimate to the Love of Your Life so You Can Get Used to Thinking of her as a Friend and Nothing Else.

Not quite as punchy a title as the first, but Robin admitted there was some merit to it. His heart sulked, showing it’s distaste with the plan by beating even faster.

“Are you going to read all of them?” he finished, going along with his brain’s plan.

Sumia perked up, looking away from the various volumes before her. “Oh, hello, Robin! Yes, this IS a lot of books, isn’t it?” She looked them over, bringing a hand to lay atop the closest. “Someone threw them out of a wagon, so i figured I’d give them a good home.”

“What a good idea!” Robin said, admiring her selfless nature. Of course she was the kind of woman to feel bad for some books. It might even extend to feeling bad enough for a sad sack like himself to go on a date with him?

No, he decided, no woman was that selfless.

“I always find it relaxing to do a little light reading in the evening.” He added, shaking off his thoughts. It was rude to not focus on conversations he was in, right? He thinks he heard that somewhere.

“Oh, you can borrow some if you want?” Sumia said, smiling at him in a way that made his heart’s tempo only intensify. “I certainly can’t read them all at once.”

“You don’t mind?” He questioned his brain on that one. There was a difference between getting used to interacting with someone, and setting up a scenario with the promise of interacting with them more frequently. Didn’t his brain ever hear of starting things slow?

His brain, as heartless as it was, asked if he could say no to that face?

His heart told him he better not dare to think of it.

He told them both to shut up, he was trying to listen to her! Besides which, this could be a good chance to expand his knowledge some more.

“Of course not! Here, which one looks good?”

In an endeavor to move his focus elsewhere, he looked to the many books littering the table. Spoiled for choice, however, he said, “I’m not sure. What do you recommend?”

“Let’s see…” Sumia hummed and looked over her collection. “Ooh, this one looks like a real page-turner! ‘Shanty Pete and the Haunted Pirates’!”

Robin blinked. That sounded a bit spooky. He already had enough existential dread as it was. No need to add any regular dread on top of it. “Er, thank you, but I don’t like to read scary stories before bed.” He held back a wince. Couldn't he have made that sound a tad less pathetic?

“Oh, of course. Well, what about… ‘A Simpleton’s Guide to Pegasus Care’?”

His heart yelled at him to take it. Show that you share in her interests, it cried! His brain said that would be rather antithetical to their operation.

“I’m not really that into animal non-fiction…” Robin said instead, ignoring them.

“Well, maybe third time’s the charm.” Sumia looked determined, then, and looked at the stack with a cute little frown that he found hard to look away from. “Let’s see now...Oh,” the frown smoothed away as she picked another up with a triumphant look on her face. Robin’s heart all but died at her cuteness. Even his brain felt stunned. Robin, well, he was right there with them.

“‘Wyvern Wars: Terror at High Noon’!”

The title snapped them out of their daze. As much as he didn’t want to say no again, he had to admit it wasn’t quite what he was looking for. Even if there weren’t any factual books, he would still like to expand his knowledge of the world’s classics. Stuff with some real merit to it. Get a feel for how the writers see the world around them.

“...Do you perhaps have anything a bit more...literary?”

“...” Sumia slumped, and his heart felt like it was trying to climb up his throat to clobber him. “Oh, pegasus poop! I’m USELESS at this! Useless, useless, useless! Just pick him out a book, Sumia! It’s so easy, Sumia! But noooooo! I’m too...darn...USELESS!” She sniffed, and Robin really hoped he hadn’t made her- “Waaaaaaaaah!”

“Oh, goodness!” Robin nearly fell over. He yelled at his brain, asking what the plan was now. His brain was no help, running around in circles with its arms in the air. His heart, for once, took over. “Please, don’t cry! I didn’t mean to imply…” He glanced around, and picked the first one he saw. Which happened to be, “A-Actually, did you say ‘Wyvern Wars’? I’ve always wanted to read that one!” 

Sumia’s crying calmed down, wobbly eyes looking at him through a wet film.

“I mean, it has terror at high noon and everything, right? You, uh, can’t beat that…” He tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace if anything.

Sumia sniffed, a smile inching its way on her face. “R-Really? You want that one? Oh, I’m so happy… I hope you like it!”

Looking at her beaming expression, cheeks still damp with the tears he’d caused, Robin was pretty sure, at that point, he had to.

As he took the book with him, after making sure she was ok, he had another thought.

Bet Chrom wouldn’t have made her cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Robin and Sumia attained C rank!


	3. Sad, Sad Reality

Robin hadn't had a chance to look at Ylisse the first time he was there. A quick tour of the barracks and off he was to Regna Ferox. But now that the Shepherds were back...he still didn't get much of a chance.

Plegia had decided to be a smidge uncooperative and started a war. So, after rescuing Maribelle they and the Exalt legged it back to the capital to prepare. Which meant many boring meetings and little opportunity to explore his new home.

He did manage to pop into a bakery and try a sausage roll, so that was nice. That Greg bloke knew a thing or two about pastry. He was going places.

Still, without the delightful sights of Ylisstol to distract him, Robin had plenty of time to read the book Sumia lent him. To his honest shock, he really enjoyed it! Too much, if the bags under his eyes in the recent strategy meeting meant anything. Which they did.

It was past midnight when Robin finished Wyvern Wars, and he had been held hostage all the next day by the urge to tell Sumia how much he'd enjoyed it. It was the afternoon of that day when he came across Sumia, once again in the barracks.

He'd been meeting Sumia in a lot of barracks, he'd noticed.

He had been entering the barracks just as Sumia had been leaving them. Which was technically still IN the barracks, so the previous point still stood. They nearly ran right into each other, and Robin managed to grab hold of Sumia's arm to stop her from falling.

As Sumia apologised for nearly bowling him over, Robin barely listened as the smell of rosemary and lavender caressed his senses once again. The yells of his brain to "Stop acting like a creep" pulled him out of his daze and he took a step back, coughing into his hand.

"Here's that book I borrowed, Sumia." He raised his other hand, which held said book. Sumia instantly seemed to forget her embarrassment as he spoke. Mission successful, his heart crowed. "It was actually pretty interesting. The encounter at High Noon was epic! I stayed up far too late reading it."

A smile alit Sumia's face, causing his heart to just about die. "Oh, I'm so glad you liked it! I'll bump it to the top of my pile." He tried not to be too pleased that his approval of the book seemed to mean so much to her. Might give a man ideas above his station.

"So, what are you reading now?" His brain decided to push the conversation on. Operation Sumia Acclimation (a much punchier title that had been chosen after some serious workshopping) required casual conversation. His heart took any chance to talk to Sumia it could get.

"'Ribald Tales of the Faith War'."

The title nearly gave Robin pause, but he doubted it could mean what he thought it did. "I've never heard of it. Is it a novel?"

"Yes. It's roughly based on historical events but all the characters are made up. And there lot's of…" Sumia blushed a tad. "Well, ribald parts. But I suppose that's obvious."

"You don't say?" Is all that he could think to say. His brain had gone as white as Feroxi snow, and his heart was doing that pesky thing where it pumps blood to the point that your face turns a tinge red.

"Do you like novels, Robin?" Sumia asked, apparently wanting to move the conversation on. Not wanting to make a big deal out of that she read...ribald books, perhaps? "Or are you more of a nonfiction type?"

He knew an olive branch when he saw one, and was more than eager to take it. His brain, having rebooted, whispered that she must not see him as a romantic option in the slightest if she was so open about her taste in steamy novels. His heart told it to "Shut up, you stinky doo doo head". Very mature.

"Novels are good. Although, I suppose I read a little of everything."

"Oh, I just LOVE a good novel!" Sumia smiled, looking to the side but not appearing to see anything. "I get so caught up in them I sometimes forget my own sad little life. I can pretend to be a knight in shiny armour! ...Or maybe an evil mage. Bwa ha ha!"

"I know what you mean." When he read a novel, he could imagine that he was the protagonist, with their backstories and origins and whatnot. Even if they were tragic, it was more than what he had. "I always feel a bit sad when a good story comes to an end."

"Oh, I know." She sighed. "Then it's back to reality for Sumia! Back to sad, sad reality…" She shook her head, finally focusing back on him. "Er, but then I think about the next story and get excited all over again!"

His heart hurt. It started when she was talking about sad reality. He didn't like it. "So then? What are you planning on reading next?"

"'Mad Tales of a Bloodthirsty Falcon Knight'! ...Volume one. Of thirty-seven."

Robin blinked. His brain blinked. His heart blinked. He wasn't sure how they did it, but they managed. "Oh. Well, that certainly sounds...like...a thing…"

After some more pleasantries, the two parted ways, with Sumia heading out and Robin heading in. Still a bit unnerved about Sumia's next choice of reading material. Turns out that Sumia had some interesting taste in literature.

Still, better than Cordelia's. He'd seen her reading "How to Make Him Fall for You in a Fortnight" the other day. Not that he could talk, for he'd almost asked if there was a "How to Make Her" version.

Still, the thing that stuck out to him most in that conversation was Sumia's expression when talking about the endings of books. Robin read a lot to try and expand his horizons, get to know both the world and himself better. So, it made him think; why did Sumia read so much?

Why would her reality be sad if she and Chrom had a burgeoning relationship? And why wasn't Chrom doing everything in his power to stop her feeling sad?

His heart suggested that perhaps, just perhaps, they didn't. His brain, not one to encourage his heart, said that there was no evidence to the contrary. His heart responded by telling it that there wasn't much evidence to prove itself wrong either.

Robin ignored them both. It didn't matter what they said. He was positive that, whatever was bothering Sumia, she and Chrom would discuss it and she'd feel right as rain. Whatever that meant. Maybe when she bought him one of her pies that he'd heard so much about from Chrom.

...Now he was thinking about pastry again. Maybe he should go get a pie from old Greg.

...He wondered what Sumia's pies were like.

...Lucky royal dastard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Robin and Sumia attained B rank!


End file.
